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Average Salary for Portland State University (PSU) Alumni

Portland State University, a school in Portland, Ore., has roughly 23,000 undergrads. The school has a strong sports tradition (Go Vikings!) and its urban campus offers many benefits for its students. Alumni responses to PayScale's salary questionnaire form the basis for this outline.

Industry

The manufacturing industry, the engineering services industry, and the health care industry are just a few of the areas in which PSU grads find work. The most popular field is the software development industry. Following graduation, PSU students earn an average of $54K.

Jobs

The most lucrative professionals among PSU alumni are Software Engineers; they earn a median annual salary of about $106K. Also approaching the top of the pay scale at approximately $78K and $55K, respectively, are Electrical Engineers and Mechanical Engineers. Collecting the smallest paychecks are Executive Assistants — they bring in $42K.

Locations

Many PSU alumni remain in Portland after graduation; a majority of grads find permanent positions in the workforce here. Hillsboro, Ore. is also a common destination for PSU grads and offers the best pay with a median salary of $85K. For comparison, the lowest-paying city popular with PSU alumni is Salem, Ore., which offers a median salary of around $49K. Alumni express interest in Seattle, Wash. and Beaverton, Ore. as well.

Degree Major

With a median annual earnings of $106K per year, former Vikings who have a Master of Science (MS), Computer Science (CS) are the best paid among the alumni population. Graduates holding a Bachelor of Science in Human Resources Management (HRM) fare the worst in terms of compensation with an average yearly salary of $36K.

Skills

Knowledge of Project Management seems to be related to bigger paychecks; in fact, skilled alumni bring in salaries that are 34 percent more than their former classmates' salaries (about $72K). About one in six grads report using Project Management as part of their job, making it the most popular skill. Other top skills include Microsoft Office, Microsoft Excel, and Data Analysis.

Benefits and Perks

Paid time off due to illness is less common here than paid vacation time, close to one-third of alums report receiving the former, whereas just half of the alumni report receiving the latter. Most former students allocate some part of their earnings to a company-sponsored 401(k) savings plan. Most respondents enjoy benefits like health insurance, while a fair number of alumni receive dental plans, too. Graduates of Portland State University are also recipients of a casual working environment, life insurance, a company-subsidized cell phone, and tuition reimbursement.

Related Schools

Median pay for University of Nevada grads is around $55K, making their salaries most similar to those of PSU grads. The University of Montana, Idaho State University, and the University of Colorado Denver are also similar to PSU.